Fleck was voted the best player against Falkirk on Saturday

Steven Davis says John Fleck can be a major star for Rangers after the 17-year-old forward's man-of-the-match performance against Falkirk.

Fleck, nephew of former Rangers, Norwich and Scotland striker Robert, had made a handful of sub appearances before playing in Saturday's 3-1 win.

"He is a great talent and he is definitely one for the future," said Ibrox midfielder Davis.

"He showed that in this game and got a deserved man of the match award."

Fleck has already been linked with a move to the Barclays Premier League, with Manchester United reportedly among his admirers.

"He has been training with us for a long time and he wanted to take those performances in training into a game," said Davis, who netted Rangers' third goal against the Bairns.

"He has done that now and he has all the attributes to be a top player."

It was great to get a game and all the boys helped me through it Rangers forward John Fleck

Manager Walter Smith was equally impressed.

"I was very pleased with him. Anybody would have been pleased with him, he played very well," he said of a player who can play as an attacking midfielder or up front.

"He has taken a little bit of time to settle into the first-team group. He has been training with us for most of the season.

"He is a quiet lad. In the last six to eight weeks, he has been playing exceptionally well and thoroughly deserves his opportunity.

"He is only 17 and I think he showed in this game that, if everything goes on an even keel with his career, he will be a very good player."

Fleck himself was delighted to be named man of the match after Rangers came from a goal down to secure three points that narrowed the gap with Celtic to two points ahead of the Scottish Premier League leaders' Sunday meeting with Aberdeen.

"To be named man of the match was pretty special and hopefully I have done enough to stay in the team," he told Rangers' website.

"It was great to get a game and all the boys helped me through it.

"I only found out that I was playing when the gaffer read the team before kick-off, although a few people had said that I would start.

"There was definitely a few nerves before kick-off, but I thought I did well in the early stages and then fell out of the game a wee bit midway through the first-half.

"In the second, I got back into it and I'm just glad we got the win."

Meanwhile, Rangers left-back Sasa Papac will miss the next two league games, against Aberdeen and Dundee United, through suspension after being sent off against Falkirk.

The red card, criticised by both his own manager and Falkirk's John Hughes, took the Bosnian over the points threshold and means an extra suspension on top of an automatic one-game absence.

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